Landscape lighting sets the tone and highlights some of the best features around your property. But it can do more than just change the mood of your Peekskill, NY, outdoor space. It can add functionality to the landscape after the sun goes down. Here are a few ways to utilize landscape lighting with a functional purpose.
Safety All Around Your Home
There is no doubt that outdoor lighting makes your home much more appealing—in fact well-placed lights will aid your home value. But it’s more than just look. More importantly it can help keep your home much more safe. The space where safety is usually most crucial is around the perimeter of your house. Think of your walkways, driveway, and patio steps and how often you traverse them for a quick trip to the car at night or a late-night drink in your outdoor living room. Trips and falls happen more easily after dark, but properly lit hardscapes will minimize the danger.
One of the best light fixtures for a driveway is a motion-sensor flood light. The motion sensor will pick up movement and instantly illuminate the entire area. This is a great option for spotting unwanted creatures on your property and for providing you with much-needed light when you get home late—there will be a light illuminating your way to your home as soon as you exit your vehicle.
You could also have any stairs around your property illuminated properly. There could be a path of lights to guide the way or lights that shine on every step, adding to the safety of your landscape and putting the spotlight on the masonry of your stairs.
Related: 5 LANDSCAPE LIGHTING TIPS FOR HIGHLIGHTING TREES AND SHRUBS IN YOUR PEEKSKILL BACKYARD
Home Security
Another plus of a thought-out landscape lighting plan is the security it can provide to your home. One of the biggest deterrents of home burglaries or invasions is light. The motion sensor by your driveway is one example—a potential burglar could be stopped in their tracks once the light shines on when they move closer to your home. Another example is the existence of lighting at all—you want to show potential intruders that you are home and that you could be outside to spot them before they try to do something nefarious. Landscape lighting on timers can help with this endeavor and take the thinking out of when you need to turn the lights on and off every day.
Related: LAYERED LIGHTING FOR INVITING SUMMER OUTDOOR SPACES
Expanding Entertainment Possibilities
There is no need to shut down your outdoor kitchen area and pool just because the sun goes down. With strategically placed landscape lighting, you can maximize the functionality of your outdoor living area and use your landscape long into the evening hours. You could have a combination of fixtures and LED lighting installed that is discreetly placed and hard to see during the day but gives off plenty of night at night. For example, LED lighting along the underside of your pool’s coping can provide a functional, indirect light source. Use this same concept with countertops to keep your kitchen looking inviting throughout the night. Also consider task lighting for your outdoor kitchen as it will provide full accessibility around the kitchen so that the time of day does not limit you when the need to cook strikes.